Thursday, February 28, 2013

I have a co-worker who is in charge of our flight operation - he’s our Operation Officer, for those that know USAF vernacular. He’s a great kid (everyone is a kid who is more than 10 years younger than I), and an extraordinarily good aviator in my book. In his time in the USAF, he earned many accolades, graduated at the top of several of histraining programs, and performed awesomely (is that a word?) in combat. I think his best characteristic is that he has a down to earth life philosophy. How do I know any of this? When you’re flying across the country in a Beech 1900--i.e. C-12J or stretch KingAir--you have lots of dead time to talk about things.

One topic we covered was what motivated him to do well in pilot training. He eventually simplified his philosophy to this: “I just didn’t want to suck. No kidding, when I finally got to pilot training I didn’t want to be known as that guy who sucked.” He told me one story about his early days in pilot training: Instructors can be grueling.

This can be personality-dependent, meaning some instructors are more "intense" than others. A standard USAF pilot training classroom is a big open room with about 10 little tables set up in a circle forming a perimeter around the room. On the outside of the circle sits an instructor. On the inside are his students, usually two. Most classes have about 20 students, two per table. An instructor is responsible for most of his student’s training, which includes grilling them with whatever question he thinks of. Of course, the situation is wide open. Everyone in the room can see or hear what’s going on.

Early in his training, he was suffering through one of these grilling sessions. His instructor was really giving it to him. The questioning even goes off the beaten path into regulations students are responsible for yet are not normally evaluated on. Some “special” instructors go off like this simply to be abrasive or to show how little a student knows. Of course, my friend is missing questions, which makes the grilling even more intense. Even though his knowledge level is commensurate with any of his classmates, this instructor is making him feel like an idiot because of the many questions answered incorrectly.

Back at home that night, he cracked open those regulations and studied them all. He tackled other regulations his instructor hadn’t questioned him on, thinking they were next. My friend told me all he wanted was to not appear so unintelligent the next time this instructor put him through the ringer--he didn’t want to “suck” as bad. This meant putting in a way over-the-top study effort that night and not getting much sleep. The next day, the instructor starts the grilling on esoteric regulations, yet this time my friend is answering questions correctly. This doesn’t stop the instructor. He just keeps pressing to find anything my friend doesn’t know until the instructor runs out of energy, a bit unsatisfied with not showing how little his student knows.

With the open classroom it was clear to everyone what was going on, what this instructor was doing, and how my friend was being picked on and despite this was performing well. He told me afterwards his classmates came up to him asking “Hey man, how did you know all that stuff?” To which he replied, with desperation in his voice, “If you stayed up all night reading this stuff, you’d know it, too.”

I had my share of “special” instructors over the years. I had one in pilot training who was particularly snarky. This guy was our flight commander. As a result, he usually flew with the most senior student--i.e., me. This meant I flew with him all the time. When asked what it was like to fly with that guy I usually responded “the best thing is he didn’t have to fly with anyone else.” I kept myself as well prepared as possible, even though I was well-versed in military aviation knowledge from my previous training as a Weapon System Officer. My whole objective was to prevent giving this snarky instructor the satisfaction of showing off how little I knew by missing some tiny knowledge detail. I
think I succeeded.

There are many sources of motivation people can tap into for achieving excellence. I can definitely connect to not wanting to “suck,” as my friends mentions. I figure whatever works, works. If it has to be not “sucking,” good. If it’s something else, so be it. Just have anything to motivate you, to focus on. If that helps you move forward, even if it's a gigantic effort, it’s a good thing.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

These are examples of many of the emails I receive daily.
I say.... Do the math.

Let's pretend you are a 30-year-old professional who was contemplating shifting careers to flying. But you're not sure of the future, how to build hours, how to survive... and what if it doesn't work? What if you quit your job, spend your money and can't make the dream come true?

I am going to share a couple secrets with you:

Time flies, and perseverance pays off.

Let's look at that thirty year old who is thinking about changing careers. This process will work for anyone younger.

What if you spent your vacation, starbucks, clothing, movies, and playtime money on taking flying lessons, and flew two hours a week and earned an instructor's license. You continue to earn your instrument, commercial, multi-engine ratings... etc., while working at your normal job to fund this.

If you make a commitment to fly two hours per week, you would have 104 hours your first year with an instructor's license. Then you could teach on the weekend. If you instructed ten hours a week, you would have an additional 520 hours per year. At the end of ten years, you would have 5304 hours. During this time you'll get an instrument, commercial and multi-engine rating. All this training will go to total time.

You could write your ticket to whatever flying job you wanted with that kind of time. There is going to be a pilot shortage. I suspect you would get hired with half that time.

Reality is, once you get flying you can become a part time instructor you'll make connections and more flying opportunities will arise to build time more quickly. If you're working, you'll be exposed to people, and connections to a possible flying job. This is the unwritten law of the world... Opportunities are there, you just have to keep your eyes open and meet people.

If it took ten years, and you got hired at 40, you could have a 25-year
career as an Airline Pilot. How awesome is that?

So here you go...

Do the math...

Fly every week for ten years and

you can become an Airline Pilot.

How easy is that? If you think ten years sounds a lifetime away... just blink and ten years will be gone. Don't be sitting in that future saying, "Wow... I should have."

Enjoy the journey, and enjoy every day. One flight at a time! Click HERE to see how I build Flight Hours. Times have changed...but get creative.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

There are exciting things happening all over the world, but nothing more exciting than in my home town at the Seattle Museum of Flight. Not only will we be taking women and girls for airplane rides on Saturday and Sunday, but there is an entire week of aviation fun for everyone.

Tuesday March 5

Program 12:00 Murdock Theater

Bridget Cooley & Helen Cernik

“Adventures Across the Atlantic” The story of Bridget & Helen’s flight from Seattle WA to Edinburgh, Scotland in a single engine Bonanza

Wednesday March 6
Program 12:00 Personal Courage Wing. History of the WASP Program

Join Deb Jennings, one of the individuals who assisted in developing our WASP display, for an informative walk through the exhibit. Learn more about the WASP program and the women who have shared their priceless mementos with the museum.

Thursday March 7th

Army CH-47 with crew in lot (tentatively)

Meet and greet pilots throughout the day Free Thursday 5:00-9:00

Women of Aviation!
Aerospace Community Resource Fair (Great Gallery)
Representatives from local schools, aviation groups, and military recruiters will be on hand

Flight Attendant's, past and present, we would love for you to wear your uniform. But either way, show us your ID and you are in for FREE.

Fly it Forward 9:00-3:00 Women and girls take flight

10:00-2:00 Hospitality Room, in the View Lounge, for coffee and tea and to visit.

2:00 Public Program—Flight Attendant Panel

3:30 “Flights of Fancy” Concert

CASCADIAN CHORALE presenting the FLIGHTS OF FANCY

Ever since the first human gazed upward to birds soaring aloft has
flight spurred the imagination. Eric Whitacre’s "Leonardo Dreams of His
Flying Machine" brilliantly depicts the Renaissance thinker’s visionary
struggles. Those inspirational birds appear in Stanford’s "The Blue
Bird".

The humorous buzzing of mosquitoes is rendered into music by
Vancouver composer Stephen Chatman. Cascadian Chorale's
Composer-in-Residence Greg Bartholomew provides music for "Three Gnostic
Poems" by his father, a pilot in World War II. We are also excited to
present a new work by Joy Porter, who trained as a pilot and who now
sings in our alto section. A motet by the Renaissance Spaniard Tomás
Luis de Victoria and a spiritual arranged by William L. Dawson round
out the program.

Gary D. Cannon, Artistic Director

Founded in 1964, Cascadian Chorale is a Bellevue-based, mixed-voice chamber choir dedicated to the performance and promotion of fine choral music. The Chorale’s membership comprises thirty-five of the greater Seattle area’s most skilled choral singers. Since 2008 Cascadian Chorale has been conducted by its Artistic Director, Gary D. Cannon. The Chorale regularly performs some of the most engaging and challenging works for chamber choir, ranging from Renaissance madrigals to new premieres. Cascadian Chorale performs in venues throughout the greater Seattle area, including Benaroya Hall, Town Hall, St. Mark’s Cathedral, and Meydenbauer Center.

We hope to see you at the Museum of Flight March 5-10th!

9th and 10th...

"Want to send your daughter, granddaughter, mother, grandmother, sister, niece, cousin, or any woman you want to experience the gift of flight on a FREE flight?

Leave a comment and then....

Email me at Karlene.Petitt@Gmail.comSubject line: Free FlightWeight: Weight and balance issueAge: Special plan for the little ones.Time: That "won't" work for you if any.

Today I'm off on a 6 day trip. Minneapolis. Tokyo. Guam. Tokyo. Seattle. But I will see you next weekend!

Monday, February 25, 2013

The Love of Learning Leads to Success.

Whether
you are learning to fly a plane, investing in the stock market, earning a new
type rating, switching from a Boeing to an Airbus, transitioning from a PC to a
Mac, or writing a novel... Success comes from the ability to learn. And the greatest asset to learning as an adult is being
teachable.

Successful
people know better than to accept everything
someone tells them as truth. They also know that much of what is taught is
opinion. But successful people open their minds, and know that in every
situation there is something they can learn. They park their ego outside the
hangar and identify truth from opinion, and fact from fiction. They take what
works, and leave the rest behind.

The love of learning opens the door to brilliance.

Experience is something Pilots gain by making mistakes.

Focused on learning,
successful people shift their mind from one of fear from making mistakes, to
one of confidence in doing the best they can. When a mistake is made, they are not incapacitated... they deal with it. They know that mistakes are nothing but learning moments.

Threat and Error Managementidentifies that mistakes will happen. Every
person has the capacity to make mistakes. The goal is to not allow those
mistakes to compound into unrecoverable errors. Pilots mitigate catastrophes by keeping their eyes open, accepting responsibility, and knowing they are not exempt from learning.

Successful people do not
deny they will make a mistake. Nor are they fearful of making them. They
embrace errors for the gift of education that follows.

Pilots are perfectionists by
nature, striving to do everything right. But if a pilot makes an error and
shifts her focus to the fact she failed, verses the power of the education on
what she had just learned, performance degrades. The lesson is lost.

Pilots retain all lessons
learned until their last flight...and beyond.

Successful
people embrace their failures and use them for learning moments.

Every person you meet has something to teach you. Sometimes
the lesson may be nothing more than what not
to do.

Pilots know that they do
not hold all the answers. Every person they meet, experience they live through,
and opportunity that presents itself is a learning moment, awaiting to be
embraced.

Successful people focus on what
they can learn during times of failure. They shift their mindset from a
fear of making a mistake, to one of confidence of doing their best and being aware if they do make an error, they can recover and learn. They listen and question, and accelerate
their learning through the experiences of others. They never make the same mistake twice.

Embrace Learning as if Your Life Depended Upon it

Itjust Might.

Enjoy the Journey, And may your life be filled withmany learning moments. XO Karlene

Friday, February 22, 2013

Dave currently flies as a Captain for Net Jets, but his aviation experience reaches beyond the sky. And while I know that we are all influenced by the experiences of our lives, I have to ask how often any of us have we been put to test on one of those lessons?

In 1991 Captain Montgomery was one of four special ops pilots to conduct operational tests and evaluations of amphibious aircraft in the Atlantic Ocean. Then, while on Active duty from 1995-1998, he served as the Air Force liaison as an advisor for the Civil Air Patrol in search and rescue.

What are the odds that a pilot who had been involved in landings and takeoffs on parallel swells in choppy Seas, who had been working on search and rescue, would actually get to experience one?

It was August 2004. Dave was the aircraft commander of a USAF Gulfstream, and what started out as an ordinary flight turned south quickly when the main door seal failed at 40,000 feet. His experience during this rapid depressurization, and the successful outcome, did more than spark an interest...
it ignited a passion.

His research as to what happens in a ditching while crossing an ocean was not a wasted effort, and he is sharing his knowledge.

BLUE WATER DITCHING

Training Profession Crewmembers For the Unthinkable Disaster.

This is a must read. From successful ditchings, to training and how to survive. You think this might never happen to you? Never say never. I spent Tuesday night flying over the Atlantic thinking about the "what if" and "how to," thanks to Dave.

Dave will be at the Northwest Aviation Conference and Trade Show, signing books in Booth 513. On
Sunday at 1pm he will present a powerpoint presentation that covers highlights of
the book, with emphasis on new concepts that overwater operators should plan and discuss.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

I realized something incredibly basic 20 years ago when I was attending Air Force Test Pilot School (TPS). It was kind of a gigantic epiphany for me. When I look back, I think I should’ve known this before. I figured out: planes really fly just like each other. Once to you get past minor differences, planes take-off, cruise, and land mostly like each other regardless of the type. Aircraft pretty much fly the same.

Some of you are probably thinking I’m absolutely cracked to say this; regardless of the aircraft, whether Cessna or B-1, they all act the same. How I can say such a drastic thing? Well, from a certain perspective the following is always true: stick forward, houses bigger; stick backwards, houses smaller. It’s as simple as that.

In my experience, the basic action of flying is always the same. For take-off, you push up the throttles. At some point, you rotate the stick back with a certain “feel.” If that’s not enough, you pull a little more until the aircraft lifts off the ground. After you escape ground effect, you take care of the after take-off checks. While the particulars are a bit different for each type, the general process is consistent for all fixed winged aircraft: you rotate at a certain point, you pull the aircraft to a certain rotation picture, then you hold things until you’re safely away from the ground.

After you’ve flown about 10 different types of aircraft you realize the mechanics are not very different from one aircraft to the next. The desired “feelings” aren’t too different. The physical motions are relatively common. It’s consistent among all the different types of aircraft. You might wonder, “How can this be?”

Aircraft are designed with a relatively common characteristic: they are based on their predecessors. If you look at the design of aircraft over the years, improvements were mostly incremental. What you can see are evolutionary changes from one version to the next. When a design team finds relative goodness in a design philosophy, they tend to stay with what works. Revolutionary advances are not the norm in aviation. As a result, aircraft tend to act very similarly to each other.

That’s why between the C-12 and T-38, control movement during take-off is about the same. Even though one is a supersonic trainer that lifts off at 160 KIAS, and the other is a mini cargo plane taking off at 120 KIAS, they’re interestingly similar. There’s only so much movement a body can do in a cockpit. Within these limitations, designers only have so much to work with.

It’s a common technique to teach flying the T-38 with the pilot’s feet on the floor in the landing phase. The issue is the T-38’s rudder with the gear down is extremely effective. If you used a wing-low landing technique, it’s entirely possible to roll the aircraft upside down with minimal rudder use--i.e., bad common student mistake. As a result, the approved landing technique is to land in a full crab with no cross controls. Since rudder isn’t needed to land, instructors teach their students to leave their feet on the floor to avoid the risk of them accidentally applying rudder at an inopportune time. But, you don’t have to. The T-38 lands wonderfully with a little cross control in a crosswind. With a little judicious use of rudder and aileron, you can avoid the crab landing issues by simply flying the aircraft. The key word is “judicious.” Once you get that perspective--you’re flying the aircraft versus just doing “procedure”--you can safely do a wing-low landing technique in the T-38, just like a Cessna. The mechanics are essentially the same; rudder to point the nose down the runway, aileron to stop the drift--easy-peasy.

Why is this important? When teaching with this knowledge you can avoid having students memorize power settings and aircraft parameters. Instead of getting wrapped up in the nuanced differences of an aircraft’s physical uniqueness, and the cockpit environment where blind procedure seems to prevail, use a teaching philosophy that improves a pilot’s cross-check. Simply use the controls at hand to make the aircraft perform the way it’s supposed to. Sure, there are nuances to learn when mastering the characteristics of a new aircraft. That goes without saying. But, I think you can get there faster if you bring forth basic piloting skills to make the new aircraft perform as it needs without having to inundate your brain with tons of memorized numbers and techniques. After all: planes really fly just like each other.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

As Chief Pilot at an aerial surveillance company, Syd Blue flies throughout the Southwest in the turbulent, hot low-level skies. More than loving the magnificent views, she is on a mission to encourage young people to become pilots. Syd conducts pilot interviews and resources in videos and blogs on her website and she’s written a book to inspire teens to go for their dreams.

Syd's book, Fly Girl, is an amazing story. We were doing a little blog hop awhile ago, and she hopped on over to mine. So... here you go. Her answers the questions everyone wants to know.

Where did the idea for the book come from?

A photo of my 5-year-old niece behind the yoke of her grandfather’s
airplane. It’s still considered an unusual concept – females who can
fly. After all this time, the statics haven’t changed much. Women
comprise only 6% of the pilot population. I like that there’s still a
frontier to breech. It can be fun to be the anomaly: a woman pilot? Yes! My niece is now in college and working on her pilot’s license. She’s
interested in a flying career, too.

Katie

What genre does your book fall under?

Pre-teen and Teen (Young Adult) Action (with romance, of course)

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Lofty fantasy #1 is Angelina Jolie because she’s a pilot. In fact, she’s the only living, famous actress pilot. And the reason she became a pilot is incredible. I explain it at HERE

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A 16 year old learns to fly an airplane – the hard way – and in the process becomes Pilot-In-Command of her life.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

10 years in development. 6 months for the
1st draft. 6 months for the 2nd rendition. 6 months for the 3rd
rendition. Etc. When I had the final story, 1 year for edits, and
presto, a book is born. Finding time to write while running a business
and flying is difficult, but I love to write about flying, especially.

Syd and Hubby

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

The Princess Diaries because FlyGirl Jill has to get herself together to
handle the challenge before her. She has to stretch and grow into the
shoes she’s trying to fill. People often say that learning to fly is the
hardest thing they’ve ever done. There are times when Jill is so scared
her feet are shaking off the rudder pedals, which makes her victory
even more of a feat to celebrate.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Flying
and all the kids who wrote me and said they are dying to fly but their
parents told them they were too stupid, or they aren’t good at math or
all these horrible things that discouraged them. That’s so sad. I wanted
them to know that often pilots face obstacles but overcome them.
FlyGirl Jill has a ton of problems and she makes it worse, getting
herself into all sorts of messes and terror in the skies, but she works
through it. She doesn’t give up. No matter what you face, you can make
your dreams come true if you believe in yourself. I didn’t know how else
to communicate this to the kids who wrote me for encouragement other
than telling them the story of FlyGirl.

Inspiration from Hubby... Flowers and Plane

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Along the way, people who have never flown before enjoy learning a bit
about flying. Jill starts off wanting to become a pilot because she
hears her crush, Robbie, say he thinks a woman who can fly is hot. I
picked up that idea from an editor at AOPA who told me she became a
celebrity at high school when she was learning to fly. Her interview
and others are at “Fearless FlyGirls."

It’s also interesting that FlyGirl Jill has so much fear to conquer in order to be able to fly. As I say in Karlene's blog many student pilots drop out during training and often it is because
they encounter a difficulty. A friend of mine put 4 grand into training
and then a scary crosswind caused her to quit. Being terrified is not a
reason to quit. You can work through it. It’s just another part of your
process to overcome.

The journey to becoming a pilot is life-changing
and worthwhile for everyone – not just those who want to fly but for
those who want a boost to their self-esteems. It is awesome to be able
to call yourself a pilot. Not just because pilots are a terrific
community to belong to but also because it means you have determination,
skills, focus and confidence. It teaches you the value of confidence.
You’ll see a direct connection between your mind control and your
result. There are so many important reasons to learn to fly!

Even if you have no interest in flying, FlyGirl is a fun ride as we watch Jill learn what porpoising is or the surprise Robbie has waiting for her at the airport.

The Next Big Thing...is Available!

My next book, Circle, is geared for everyone, boys included. A cross between Indiana Jones
and E.T. It’s not about flying like FlyGirl, but it has flying in it, of
course. It’s about a 14 year old, Spencer, who discovers an
extraterrestrial girl, Mandy, hiding out in his house. She’s lost and
alone since the jet she stowed away on crashed in the desert behind
Spencer’s home.

After the pilot is captured by military, Mandy needs
Spencer’s help to rescue him from Edwards Air Force Base and help them
get back home with the one thing their civilization needs to survive. On
the run from soldiers, fighter jets and attack helicopters, Spencer’s
family falls into crisis when they discover what it is that Mandy and
the pilot have really come to Earth for. Coming soon, you’ll be able to
find its link at SydBlue.com.

"For three decades the Washington Aviation Association has been pleased to present the Northwest Aviation Conference & Trade Show in Puyallup, Washington. This event has grown to over 75 hours of safety seminars and 122,000 sf of aviation displays with an annual attendance of over 10,000!"

Among the many exhibitors, forums, and events... Jet Star Publishing will have a booth, and you can meet Karlene Petitt, (me) and get your autographed copy of Flight For Control. I will have a special guest: Syd Blue! She's flying in from California and staying the weekend, and will be selling her book, Fly Girl

Find us at Booth

Booth 707!

You can also meet Captain Dave Montgomery, this week's Friday Flyer. He will be autographing his book, Blue Water Ditching at booth 513, and will be conducting a seminar on Sunday. Friday you'll learn more about Major Montgomery, and his book.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Focus: The Power Within

Successful people bathe in
the power of focus. They grasp the challenges of life and use them to their
benefit. They focus on the picture the 3000 pieces will create after
they solve the puzzle. Not on the difficulty. They have the ability to thread
their mind through the eye of a needle and sew their life together in a
tapestry of perfection. Pilots know that each test they face is one that will
strengthen their wings enabling them to soar higher.

Challenges—Nobody is exempt from a rainy day.

A successful
person knows where to focus. Pilots know how to fly in the rain. They use
the water to grow and nurture their life and talents. They have the wisdom to
know that the rain will not last forever, and they use this time to regroup,
rebuild, and strengthen their wings. They do not focus on the pain of getting
wet and being locked inside, nor do they complain the rain will never end. Successful
people know it will. Pilots wait out the rainy days while they study for their instrument rating. If the storm lasts a little longer than they had hoped, they are
ready to fly through the cloudy days.

Shift the Focus—change your state.

Successful people know that all
a blue day needs is a splash of red to turn it purple. Pilots look forward to
the blue days, knowing they are far and few between. Successful people know that whatever is bothering them, they can change their feelings by shifting their focus. They can turn sadness into joy. If pilots have a bad day they take off and leave their problems behind.

Shift your focus to anything other than what plagues you.

Sing, paint, run, read, and get out of your mind. Pilots know how to leave their problems on the ground. They know how to
navigate the weather. They know how to spread their wings and fly, even on the
darkest days. They also have the wisdom to wait out the greatest storms, because they do not last forever.

Focus on the solution, not on the problem.

Successful people do not see
problems—they see challenges with solutions. A challenge provides opportunities to learn and
grow. Pilots know that problems drown a person in negativity, but a challenge
teaches them how to fly.

When a pilot loses an
engine, they do not focus on the failure. They focus on how to restart their engine,
and where to land. Pilots focus on the solution, not the problem.

Worry—The
antichrist to Focus.

Worrying about what has
happened before, prevents success of the future. A pilot never focuses
on the runway left behind. A successful person lives in the now, and focuses on
the present. That is why they call it a gift.

Single-minded focus—The key to Success.

Successful people know that the only reason they will fail is by allowing their
mind to drift to someplace other than the task at hand. Pilots possess the technical skills to fly their plane despite what happens en-route. They know how to focus on the task. If they experience something new, they focus on how to handle the experience and create a solution, not on the fear of the unknown.

If a pilot’s mind wanders to what if I don't succeed, instead of
flying the plane, they have just taken their focus from where they want to go, to fear.
Pilots do not fly in fear. They fly in confidence with decisive direction.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Last week we met a
Planespotter, today we will meet another kind of aviation enthusiast that
started out as a hobby, and morphed into a business—ParkerJets.

But first the man behind the
mission…

CJ: I
suppose my interest in flight, which has translated into small scale radio
controlled hobby, was no doubt planted by my father. He was in the U.S.
Air Force for something like 28 years as an instructor pilot and continues to
train pilots as a simulator instructor on an Air Force base. So growing
up, we lived around military jets, sonic booms and flight suits. As a
kid, you certainly take that lifestyle for granted. Like any child, you
just think your father's job is just normal but of course my father's a job let
him fly jets around, all over the country at the speed of sound.

Now as an adult, I have a
great appreciation for what he accomplished in his career. He served in
Vietnam, flew over 100 combat missions, and trained countless pilots and loved
every minute of it. That doesn't even take into account the pride I have
in his service. So I grew up in that Air Force culture, squadron parties,
and flight patches. For a long time I couldn't tell the difference
between a Buick and Toyota, but I could name every plane in the sky as it
zoomed overhead.

That's where an appreciation
and interest in flight started.

C.J. with Dad

As a kid, we had the
opportunity to fly with my dad when he could get a plane rented or got some
flight time in a small commuter type airplane like a Cessna. I can remember
climbing in this small airplane, a little nervous of course, but my father is
the pilot so you have to trust he knows what he is doing. After all, he
flies jets for a living. Well, I will never forget getting in that
co-pilot seat and as we are rolling on the tarmac, he is reading the flight
checklist, knee on the stick, looking up and down, and making sure he is
pushing and pulling all the right levers and buttons. He was so casual
about the whole thing, but my anxiety level was climbing faster than we were. Of
course looking back on that experience, I never appreciated a couple of things;
his level of experience and the simple principles of flight.

So to fast forward a bit, a
few years ago, I started working on my website, ParkerJets
and started going to a few radio controlled (RC) flight events around the
Southwest and really started to get inspired to be a hub for the RC flight
community.

C.J.'s Dad T-38

One thing really stands out
if you get around a bunch of people and their RC planes; they love flying. Now
many of them are pilots in the real sense of the word, but many are not, but
they experience some level of freedom and wonder that pilots of real airplanes
experience, all while having their feet on the ground. I think that's one
of the foundations of the hobby, having a wonder for flight. Now if you
are not familiar with RC airplanes, you might be thinking, "those are just
toys" and in some ways you are right, but in others ways, you might be
amazed at the direction the hobby has moved in the last few years and the
similarities the hobby has with real aviation.

While ParkerJets focuses on small scale and pretty
inexpensive end of the RC hobby, one segment of the hobby deals exclusively
with actual turbine engines. These RC airplanes are huge, complete with
retractable gear, jet fuel, and trailers for transport. Listening to them
fly around the field, you would swear you are at a real air show. More
traditional RC airplanes rely on propellers and are stapled firmly in the exact
same principles of real flight. Thrust to weight ratios, wing loading,
lift, stall speed, flaps, and just about everything else you can think about
how a real plane flies applies to their smaller counterparts. Hobbyists
set up their control surfaces the exact same way and perform the same stunts
and maneuvers as pilots do everyday. The one main difference is that when
something goes wrong you don't have to bail out. You just have to watch
as your plane noses into the ground.

For your readers, they might
be surprised to know that just like aspiring pilots, new RC pilots often start
out on simulators, specifically designed for radio controlled flight. You
can even change the type of plane in the simulator to give you different
experience and change the weather, just like a real simulator the military
uses. You might be wondering why you have to have a specific simulator
just for RC, well, its simple really, when the plane is flying away from you,
the controls are intuitive, but when that plane is coming at you, right is left
and left is right and getting your brain to switch back and forth takes some
training.

One really exciting
development in the RC world is bringing a whole new excitement to RC flying. While
many RC pilots get a lot of joy in watching their plane fly around a field, the
view from the ground is nothing like a real pilot experiences. But now, with HD
cameras becoming small, and virtual reality glasses coming into the mainstream,
some RC pilots are hooking up an HD camera, controlled by a swivel servo, and
then streaming the live video feed right back to a set of virtual reality
glasses so the pilot on the ground feels like they are right on board. Right
now those set ups are expensive and bulky and don't always work as advertised,
but give it a few years and those RC pilots, will experience the views and
thrill of flying right on the ground!

Unlike a lot of real pilots,
you get to be your own production line, mechanic, and pilot. That's one
thing that ParkerJets really lets
people do, download and get plans to build your own airplane. Not to
sound like a broken record, but much of the building process is very similar to
the real thing. Bulkheads, firewalls, outer skins and paint. It's
all basically the same thing, just on a smaller scale and with different
materials.” C.J.

C.J.’s passion flies off the
page with his excitement, and I’m thinking for all you aviation enthusiasts…
this might be the next best thing to flying inside a plane.

For me:
0600: Yoga, for the love of Health.
1300: Meeting at the Museum of Flight for Fly It Forward, for the love of flight.
1600: See the movie Safe Haven, for the love of Entertainment, and time with my Valentine. And for my hubby to share a chick flick with me... That speaks volumes.

I have ulterior motives...

1. See how they do the flashbacks for my movie.

2. Do nothing but enjoy the moment.

Have a wonderful Day of Love, and enjoy every moment.
Next week we'll be back to Tom Hill THursday.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

My Good Friend Heather McCorkle is taking us into a fantasy of Dragons. And I'm celebrating Heather and her newest book, The Dragon Empire.

Dragons really do FLY!

Today
we're celebrating the release of Heather McCorkle's fantasy novel, The
Dragon Empire! For today's stop Heather is answering the following
question:

Are the dragons in your book shapeshifter?

Heather:
No. While they can take other forms it is only with the use of magic,
only temporary, and not all of them can do it. I figured there are
enough great shapeshifter stories out there and not enough stories about
just dragons, so my dragons are 'all' dragon. :)

On Yacrana dragons are the advanced species. But advanced doesn't always mean civilized...

There's
trouble in the Dragon Empire, the kind that could start a war between
dragons and the races of people. Hidden factions of dragons believe they
should rule the lesser races, not simply stand aside and allow them to
develop as they will. Having lived so long in peace, the Emperors turn a
blind eye, many oblivious that such attitudes even exist.

Despite
being only an architect class, emerald dragon, Grendar is willing to
risk banishment and death to stop that which his rulers refuse to see.
The hope of peace lies not within the scaled breast of a dragon however,
but within the hands of a group of people. But if the hidden factions
have their way, these people won’t live to fulfill such a destiny. With a
reluctant seer at his side, Grendar must leave his precious Empire for
the outside world to save those that will one day save his kind.

While The Dragon Empire is for ages young adult and up, it does contain mild violence and some difficult subject matter.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

I receive many questions aboutmy aviation career, and how I got to where I am. This particular email was interesting due to the author's fear of needing 10 years before he had enough experience to go to a major airline. Take a look and tell me what you think:

"I am planning to get an undergrad either Business or Aviation (with the
pilot license). Obviously the aviation degree sounds a ton more
attractive then Business degree (interest wise). I looked through your
blog, studied our previous conversations and the advice you gave me, and
over the past couple of months, I realized how great it would be to fly
and do something I love instead of wasting time doing something
boring/not interesting for money. Of course there are people over the
internet, friends and even my mom who tried to pull me away. And as you
said in one of your blog "run from those people", and I'm trying my best
to follow my dream.

So my question is, how
did you get where you are now? From flying while doing college to B727,
B737, B747 B757 B767 and now the A330... One of my biggest concern is
the money to get to where you are now. Obviously opportunities and regulations
have changed, but how many years was it before you became a
professional major airline pilot for northwest? Flying is already
expensive but studying college while flying? How many part time jobs did
you have to get? :P.

Forget
about the barriers to get to your commercial license, I am frightened
by the fact that even after you get hired by the regional airlines, you
need at least 10 years or so before you have enough experiences to be
hired by a major airline, I would love to fly for those regional
airlines, but many knows that regional pilots barely able to pay their
bills."

How did I get to where I am now?

We'll get the full story one day. But today is about my principles of life.

By never saying no to a job, despite the complications. By taking every opportunity to learn. By living each day with a dream of the future, but not living in that future. Enjoying each job, and each moment. I had the attitude that when one job shut down, another was waiting in its place.

My life was a little different because I made career choices with childcare in mind. I took a non-seniority teaching job while my kids were young. I commuted because I did not want to uproot them. But that teaching job that I sacrificed the seniority number for, turned out to open more doors, and gave me the ability to teach on the side...and for NWA.

The real question here is how many years before I got hired by NWA?I thought if I didn't have a job with a major airline by the time I was 23, I was out of luck.That was the reality when I started flying.As life would have it, I got that first job with Evergreen at 25. And exactly 10 years later, I was hired by NWA. There were many jobs in that ten year span. Butit was the philosophy of not giving up that enabled me to reach my dreams.

The point is... times today are different. We will have a pilot shortage in the very near future. I cannot believe that any pilot starting today would work longer than two to five years in a commuter job, unless they wanted to.

How many side jobs?

How much money do you need to live on?

Getting to the majors is not an easy task. But if anyone goes into it with fear, and the 'what if I don't make it' attitude, chances are you won't. You need to go forward knowing what you want, while not fearing the unknown, or fearing the what ifs. If you love each day and what you're doing... loosening your tie to the end result will help you get there.

The point is, there are no guarantees in life. What if you don't make it? Will you feel you wasted your life? What if you get hit by a car tomorrow? What if you were on your death bed at 99 and never did what you wanted to do in your life?

Wasting your life means living in fear of the what if,

and never following your dreams

Best of luck to all the dreamers. I say... Go for it! For everyone else... what advice do you have for our pilot to be?